The neighbor of a Milton woman who was killed last year by her husband testified in court Wednesday that she thought about calling police that night when she heard the couple argue, but ultimately, she didn't.

She said she had just moved in and didn't know the couple very well. She said she didn't want to be "that" neighbor.

But the victim's father, Alan Pogreba, wishes she had made that call.

"It's one phone call and it’s not like you're going to rat somebody out, you might be saving a life," he said. "It's unfortunate that one call wasn’t made.”

Jamie Pogreba-Brown, 28, died Feb. 22, 2017, after her husband struck her in the head nine times with a hatchet. Her father sat in court this week as his son-in-law, Todd Michael Brown, 35, stood trial for the murder. It took a Santa Rosa County jury only 30 minutes to convict him of first-degree premeditated murder.

The same set of FDLE statistics shows police in the area investigated more than 3,500 cases of domestic violence in 2016, but Marcille believes the actual number is much higher, because domestic violence cases are more frequently dropped than any other type of crime.

In many cases, the victims are also the only witnesses, and with factors like financial dependence, children and a lack of resources to leave, some victims decline to press charges, which often results in the state dropping charges, Marcille said.

He said he remembers a case in which a victim recanted her statement in a domestic violence case, and soon after, she died at the hands of the same attacker.

"While prior behavior may indicate the threat of increased violence that's not always the case, but every time we do handle a domestic violence case, we're always aware they could escalate into more serious violence or even death at a later time," Marcille said.

The FDLE statistics show that while there was a drop in the overall number of domestic violence cases investigated between 2014 and 2016, the percentage of those cases that turned deadly has increased.

In Brown's case, the jury heard he and Pogreba-Brown had been having problems in their marriage and there was a history of both physical and verbal fights. They fought about money and about personality clashes on the night Pogreba-Brown was killed.

Brown’s attorney, Scott Tatum, said the murder was in the “heat of passion.”

Pogreba-Brown’s family members sat quietly in the second row of the courtroom during the trial, silently wiping away tears at times. They wore purple ribbons as a unifying symbol in the fight to end domestic violence.

It's not unusual for a partner to remain with their abuser despite prior domestic violence, said Sue Hand, executive director of Favor House, which offers temporary shelter, a crisis phone line, support staff and attorneys who specialize in injunction orders to give victims resources to leave their abuser.

Hand said it’s important not to judge victims for their choices.

“We always remind families and victims that when they leave that violent relationship is the most dangerous time for them, that’s when they’re killed or harmed the most,” Hand said. “It is, of course, the decision of the victim as to when he or she wants to leave the relationship, and there are factors at play like whether they can economically support themselves, feed the children and have a place to go… . We should not judge them if they choose to stay for whatever reason.”

The Favor House is hosting training next month for law enforcement officers to learn how best to approach domestic violence calls, how to interview each party and the dynamics that go into dating violence. Hand said law enforcement officers work well with area shelters and support organizations to understand the complexities of domestic violence.

Hand said victims are often unrealistically expected to pack bags for themselves and their children, leave the home and immediately thrive.

But, she said, victims are often vulnerable and have had their power stripped away. More than anything they need resources and support.

Pogreba lives in Wisconsin, where his daughter grew up before moving to Crestview as a teenager with her mom. He said it's always hard to let your child move away, but he stayed in close contact with Pogreba-Brown and her two children, Louie and Uryah, and visited them.

When the jury's guilty verdict was announced in court Wednesday, most of Pogreba-Brown's family cried or heaved a sigh of relief.

Standing outside the courtroom after the verdict, Pogreba made an emotional plea to domestic violence victims and their families to make that call to police, even if it doesn’t lead the victim to immediately leave the home.

"People need to call if there’s a problem somewhere, don’t just think it’s going to resolve itself," he said. “It’s something that’s going to just escalate and call, even if it doesn’t mean you’re going to immediately leave you can call and consult somebody and talk, or just make that first call."

The Favor House’s crisis line can be reached 24 hours a day at 850-434-6600, and the National Domestic Violence Hotline can be reached at 1-800-799-7233.